One of the company’s divisions at the Kola MMC has started to press and sell big bags – large bags with loops for storing and transporting materials. Previously, they used to pay for disposal of the bags. Now the bags are used to manufacture park seating.
Since November 2023, one of the company’s divisions at the Kola MMC started to press and sell big bags – large bags with loops for storing and transporting materials. People used to pay for bags disposal. Now they make park benches from them. Read about Nornickel’s recycled feedstock processing projects.
Big bags are made from strong polymers. They can be downcycled into granules, making it pointless to get rid of them.
Two press machines were set up at Nornickel’s Monchegorsk and Pechenga sites to compress the used big bags into a reduced size which facilitates easier transportation. Third-parties are happy to buy such products to give them a second life.
Two press machines were set up at Nornickel’s Monchegorsk and Pechenga sites to compress the used big bags into a reduced size which facilitates easier transportation. Third-parties are happy to buy such products to give them a second life.
Other Nornickel projects involving recycled feedstocks
Manufacturing involving recycled content is one of the principal areas of the Ecology national project. Pursuing a sustainable development agenda, Nornickel has long established the re-use of production waste for such applications as backfill mixtures, flux in smelting, dam construction and reinforcement, railway track embankment, and road filling.
Construction of a crushing complex to recycle construction waste into standard-compliant crushed stone
Opening of a 2 ktpa non-ferrous scrap processing shop
Pilot waste sorting project in Monchegorsk. Up to 80% of rubbish left behind by the company is now collected and recycled. All scrap tires and rubber items are downcyled into crumb rubber to be used in coating for sports and playgrounds
The Clean Norilsk program was launched in 2021 and will last for 10 years. Its goal is to clean the city of industrial waste, which has been accumulating for decades. In the first year of the program alone, Nornickel disposed of 23.7 million tonnes of waste, recycling 13.5 million tonnes for intended re-use
For waste disposal, the company is considering building local processing plants to enable waste reuse and profits.
Photos by Nornickel
May, 2024
